Psychopathology and personality in juvenile sexual homicide offenders.
This project describes the psychopathology and personality findings in 14 juveniles who committed sexual homicide. These incarcerated youth were assessed using a structured interview, a personality assessment instrument, correctional files review, and an author-designed clinical interview. Nearly all of these youth met DSM-III-R conduct disorder criteria at the time of the crime. The presence of personality disorders and moderately high psychopathy scores at follow-up were common. Two-thirds of these youth reported the presence of violent sexual fantasies before their crimes. Weapons, most often knives, were used by these juvenile sexual murderers to kill known victims in a majority of the cases. They usually acted alone and selected a low risk victim. These findings suggest that juvenile sexual murderers are an emotionally and behaviorally disturbed population with identifiable psychopathology, personality disturbances, and criminal patterns.
Myers
W C
WC
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, USA.
Blashfield
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003417:Criminal Psychology; D005192:Family Health; D005201:Fantasy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006708:Homicide / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D010551:Personality; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology*